Blog post 4: revised topic paragraph

As the semester marches on, my topic grows ever narrower and more focused. Since last week's post I have been in contact with Solstice, the senior living community I plan to work with. I have also reached out to the Strong Museum of Play, yet have not heard anything from them as of the time I published this post. Once I secure a collection to work from, I will be able to further narrow my topic and outline, broadly, some lesson goals and themes I want to accomplish with my project.

Research Question: How can museums facilitate effective object-based learning 
programs for independent living community residents?

With the baby boomer generation approaching retirement and the average age of Americans increasing, 
industries must evolve to serve the growing 55+ population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, "1 
in every 5 (U.S.) residents will be retirement age" by 2030.¹ A larger aging population means more 
people living in nursing homes, assisted living, and independent living communities. 

Traditionally, museum education has focused on school children, and more recently 
programming has branched out to include 21+ events as well. Now, however, is the time 
to expand our horizons even further and embrace museum education for all ages, especially 
for those who may not be able to visit the physical museum on their own. We have one 
decade before 20% of the population is eligible for retirement, and we must plan for this change 
in demographics in order to be prepared for the shift in visitorship.

My project will act as a bridge between a Rochester-area museum and the Solstice Senior Living 
community in Fairport, NY. I hope to create a lesson plan which will utilize a teaching collection 
chosen to both spark memories from the past and teach the residents something new. I will implement 
the program sometime in early spring semester. Following the program, I will reflect on the effectiveness
of it and make recommendations based on my experiences for those wishing to host a similar program 
in the future.

Cited: 

¹ Bureau, US Census. “Older People Projected to Outnumber Children.” 
The United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 23, 2019

Other sources I will be using:

Smiraglia, Christina. "Qualities of the Participant Experience in an Object-Based Museum 
Outreach Program to Retirement Communities." Educational Gerontology 41, no. 3 (2015): 238-248.

"Case Studies: Museum Programs for Older Adults." Roundtable Reports 9, no. 4 
(1984): 9-13. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.rit.edu/stable/40478630.

Morrell, Roger W., and Katharina V. Echt. "Presenting Information to Older Adults."  
The Journal of Museum Education 26, no. 1 (2001): 10-12. 
 http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.rit.edu/stable/40479197.

“September 2019 Activities Calendar.” Solstice Senior Living, n.d. Accessed 
September 16, 2019. https://solsticeseniorlivingfairport.com.